The First camp

Posted on Sat Jul 18th, 2026 @ 6:42pm by Pine Hollow Leader Amythyst & Department Leader Briar Maddox & Department Leader Jordana Venturi & Deputy Leader John ("Dodger") Smith

1,212 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Safe Harbor
Location: Woodland Grove – Eight Miles Inland
Timeline: October 8th 2010, near dawn

Woodland Grove – Eight Miles Inland

The journey had gone better than Amy expected. That thought alone felt dangerous. For nearly eight hours the caravan had crawled steadily through the darkness, wagon wheels creaking softly against old cracked asphalt and uneven dirt, the entire column moving slower than any of them had liked—but moving. That was what mattered. They had actually left. Behind them, Gull’s Refuge was gone. Leah’s farmstead was gone. For the first time in months… There was no going back.

The cattle had performed better than Amy had dared hope. Each wagon team had settled into rhythm after the first hour, their heavy breathing and slow steady hoofbeats creating a strange kind of comfort in the darkness. Even Old King had surprised everyone.

The massive bull had accepted the harness with far less complaint than Patrick had predicted, though nobody had been foolish enough to walk too close behind him for most of the journey. Shadow and Atlas stayed loose alongside the herd, refusing to drift far from the others. At midnight they had paused briefly along the roadside. Just enough time to water the draft teams. Check the leather harnesses. Rotate two of the heavier pullers. Stretch aching legs. Then they had pushed onward.

And now— What Amy guessed was somewhere near four in the morning— They finally stopped. The old track curved sharply through dense woodland before opening into a shallow grove hidden by thick trees on three sides. Protected. Hidden. Good enough. Amy climbed down slowly from beside the lead wagon, every muscle in her back reminding her just how long the night had been. Around her the rest of the caravan rolled carefully into position.

One by one the six wagons were turned inward, forming the rough defensive half-circle they had discussed back at the farm. The wheels settled into the dirt with heavy finality. For a moment nobody moved.
The silence felt enormous. Then one of the cows snorted heavily, shifting against the harness. Amy looked up immediately. Work wasn’t finished. Not even close. She turned. “Austin.”

He was already moving. “Got it.”

Patrick immediately groaned from somewhere near the feed wagon. “We literally just stopped.”

Andrew jumped down beside him, already reaching for the side rail of Wagon Four. “You volunteered.”

“I definitely did not.”

Elliot appeared from behind the pantry wagon, rubbing tired eyes. “Why do we always get the heavy jobs?”

Amy ignored all three of them. “Fencing first.”

That would become the rule. No sleeping until the animals were secured. Austin grabbed the bundled livestock wire while Andrew began pulling down the stacked fence posts secured along the outside rails of the construction wagon. Patrick reluctantly took the mallet. Elliot wrestled one of the heavier wire rolls free with an exhausted grunt.
Together the four boys moved quickly toward the open section beside the wagons where the cattle would graze once unharnessed.

When the caravan stopped moving and the teams were being unhitched Dodger went to work. He knew what needed to be done and just did it. All the time just working and being quiet.

JV did her part walking with the group. It felt cold outside as she pulled her coat together. Following closely behind, she kept a sharp watch on the horizon. Wondering where they would end up to.

Behind them Amy moved toward the draft teams. The animals were tired. She could see it immediately. Tilly stood breathing heavily, sweat darkening her coat where the leather straps had rubbed against her shoulders. Bramble looked equally exhausted but still alert.

Old King stamped once impatiently, clearly unhappy about standing still.

Leah pushed herself forward from the medical wagon, blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. One look at the cattle and she immediately began pointing. “Tilly comes off first.”

Amy looked over. “Why?”

“Shoulder rub.”

Amy immediately checked. Leah was right. The leather had started chafing slightly near the chest strap.Nearby Patrick had already started hammering the first fence post.

Leah turned her head sharply. “No.”

Patrick froze. “What now?”

She pointed. “Wider.”

Patrick frowned. “It’s a fence.”

“It’s a cattle enclosure.” She corrected immediately.

“If you build it too small fifteen cattle will flatten it the second we release them.”

Andrew snorted. “She’s not wrong.”

Patrick stared at the open clearing. Then at the wire roll. Then back at Leah. “…I miss when survival was simpler.”

Austin drove another post into the dirt. “When exactly was survival simple?”

Patrick thought about that. “…fair.”

Beyond them Brutus had already moved to the outer tree line, silently patrolling the darkness. Kira remained close to Wagon One, ears twitching as she kept watch near the sleeping younger children.
Inside the livestock wagon the goats shifted restlessly behind the rear slatted enclosure. Somewhere beneath the canvas covering, chickens rustled quietly on their roosts. The bees remained still. Mercifully.
Amy stood for a moment looking over the camp. Six wagons.
Fifteen cattle. Enough food to last months. Tools. Seeds. Medicine.
A moving settlement. For the first time since leaving New York… They weren’t running anymore. They were building something. Ahead of them, somewhere beyond the darkness— Pine Hollow waited.
Amy drew a slow breath. Then finally called back toward the others.
“Let’s get the herd settled.” No one argued.

Dawn was coming. And nobody was sleeping until every animal was safe.

Dodger worked quietly, methodically. He got the smaller kids situated for sleep, doing a head count as he did, making sure everyone was accounted for (they were) Once he was finished and satisfied they were safe he moved to another task. He was full of restless energy.

Briar was helping tie down the stakes where the boys were fencing for the cattle. It took them a while to get the Cows and Bulls settled.

Then they dug a firepit and sat around for a bit relaxing before Amy sent the younger children to sleep in the covered wagons.

Dodger sat but wasn't still, his foot was tapping and he was full of restless energy. Fisher sat/lay next to him. He silently wondered how far they had come and how much farther they had to go to reach Pine Hollow.

Briar suddenly stood up and began to pace. She looked at the group. "Traveling at night seems to be a good thing, but what if we cannot find a place like this again? A place where we can corral the cows and camp in relative safety?"

Amy looked up from her cup of hot water with a slice of lemon. "I do not know. I am not sure we could push the cattle to walk more than what we did today a day."

Briar nodded slowly. "You have the map?"

Amy held it out. "I think we did about 9 miles since we left Leah's home"

Leah nodded. "They cannot move as fast as cars."

Briar looked at the map and then sighed. "Its going to be tough. If there is abandoned barns or farms... or buildings we might make it work."

The 'might' hung there but the older children knew better than to let it sink in. Soon enough a watch was set in place and the younger children went to bed.

 

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